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About this project

What is WigWag?

WigWag lets you build intelligent environments anywhere with Internet-connected sensors and devices by letting you graphically write rules, "When" [this] happens "Then" do [that]. No complicated programming languages or computers necessary, rules are easily built on smartphones and tablets. The more WigWag and third party devices in your account, the more you can do!

(Makers & Developers: Also works with Arduino and the Raspberry Pi. Check out the "Under the Hood" section towards the end of the page.)

Example Rules

Turn on a fan when the humidity rises.

Get notified when kids are messing around with stuff they shouldn’t be.

Receive a “thirsty” tweet from your plant, or even better, turn on the water!

Log the date/time when people enter a room, send it to a spreadsheet in Dropbox.

Place a sensor on your porch, get a text when a package arrives.

Rules can happen anywhere, and can be easily shared with your friends and family:

How WigWag Works...

What are the WigWag devices?

It's just the beginning, so we made three devices so you can get started making your environment listen, react and talk to you...

The Relay connects WigWag and third party devices to our cloud service, which allows your stuff to interact with many Internet services, such as email, Dropbox and Twitter. It also makes your sensors work together, so they and the rules they activate are smarter.

One WigWag Relay can cover a house. Use multiple Relays to cover multiple locations worldwide. If the Internet is down, the Relay enables your devices to continue to work at that location. One Relay is required per account, and is included in all packages.

Free lifetime WigWag Cloud subscription with each Relay purchased in this Kickstarter campaign!

The Sensor Block is a universal sensor device with 8 environmental sensors, 4 control features, and 2 expansion ports. It can measure light, detect motion, sound, temperature, humidity, movement, contact closure, and you can setup infrared (IR) tripwires between two blocks. It can control things such as: an electronic relay - (open a garage door or turn on a sprinkler), IR devices (change channels on a tv). It can also blink and play simple sounds for alerts.

The block also has two expansion ports to add future things such as plant moisture probes, and contact sensors. The block can be powered with four AA batteries or the included USB power adaptor.

The final design of the Sensor Block will be a bit more refined with rubber corners molded into the case to protect, eliminate vibrations and allow the module to easily stand upright. You can choose from a midnight black Sensor Block (with a Kickstarter green trim), which hides well in dark places, or a soft white Sensor Block good for interiors.

The WigWag Glowline provides dynamic indirect or mood lighting. It can also detect ambient light and motion. It is perfect lighting for stairs, outdoor patios, kitchen cabinets, bathroom sinks and enclosures. It will ship with 2.5m (~8ft) of RGB LED strip lighting (upgradeable to 5m), and a power supply.

The following video shows the basics of the Glowline and how WigWag's App can work with other kinds of lighting!

WigWag can work with a lot of other devices as well. And in many cases, WigWag will auto-detect devices you may already own, such as Phillips Hue™ light bulbs and Belkin WeMo™ outlets.

These devices can participate in rules and get control just like anything else. The system treats different devices as categorized objects, so – for instance – you can have light bulbs from different vendors, yet still do control the same way. Even matching color and brightness:

WigWag can also work with other protocols and automation standards.

The Relay can take optional modules which plug in to support additional protocols. These options will be available when the campaign successfully funds.

Putting it all together

WigWag connects to multiple third party products in addition to the Sensor Block and WigWag Glowline. It presents all these devices in your account for building rules. The Relay and our cloud service listen for each "When" and "then" executes your rules.

What are the packages?

We put together several packages for tinkers, enthusiasts and people who just want to try out WigWag, without a huge commitment. In general the "Pick 2" is good to try out each product, and the "Pick 4" and "Pick 10" are to help you outfit a room and house. There are Early-Bird backer levels throughout as a special thank you to those who help us make our goal!

What package should I get?

It depends on what you want to do. If you're not ready to commit to a whole house deployment, or just looking to try out WigWag with a minimal commitment, back with the "Sensor Kit" for a single sensor block, or the "Lighting Kit" for a single Glowline. What to try both and use them together? Get the "Pick 2." Want to do more? Such as outfit a room with sensors and indirect lighting? Look at the "Multi-Room Kit (Pick 4)." With the "Pick" options you chose the mix of Sensor Blocks and Glowlines at the end of the campaign. All kits include a Relay, which means you can listen to and control a lot of other devices also. Use the following table as inspirational ideas for your own spaces!

Add-Ons

Thanks to the support of early backers we are able to offer sensor add-ons for kits! Some add-ons work with any kit (since all kits include a WigWag Relay), other add-ons plug into the Sensor Block, requiring at least one Block.

Refer to Update 2 for instructions on how to adjust a pledge level to receive these add-ons.

Why WigWag?

The promise of automated environments has existed for decades, but it is still not a reality for most. Why? The biggest reason people don’t have “smart homes” and intelligent environments is twofold:

It’s a major hassle to deploy and program automated systems.

Traditional systems lack the necessary sensory and historical data to become aware.

We are solving these problems in a number of ways…

Easy Setup

WigWag devices are super easy to setup. Place them where you need them, either permanently or for temporary use. No pairing, no passwords & no SSIDs... Just scan with the WigWag App, and the device appears on your phone.

Easy Customization

Traditionally, customized automation has been limited to permanent installations by professionals or people willing to spend countless hours configuring. WigWag’s Rules approach is built for customization. As an example: Rules can be set to run once, repeat after acknowledgement, and run continuously. This way you can make one-time notifications or permanent behavior.

Sensor Fusion for Powerful Information

Sensor networks are really useful when multiple sensors work together to make smarter decisions. WigWag lets you do exactly that.

A single motion sensor only detects presence temporarily, however, multiple motion sensors can detect direction of movement. Average temperature in a location is much better than a temperature reading from just one sensor, and so forth.

Learn from History

WigWag’s platform learns by recording what happens. Historical information lets WigWag differentiate real change from sensor "noise." For instance, the WigWag platform benefits from knowing if a room is normally light or dark, not just the room's current status. WigWag is about making intelligent decisions – to make automated environments convenient, not annoying.

Who is WigWag?

WigWag is a startup out of Austin, Texas, comprised of engineers, programmers and designers. We have staff in Austin, Texas and Wuxi, China. Some of our team members are University of Texas computer science and electrical engineering students. Founder Ed Hemphill worked at another startup in the pro-AV industry for six years before leaving to start WigWag. Our primary investor and advisor, Jean-Marc Trinon, is also a developer and home automation pro, and has successfully created several other startups.

Everyone at WigWag is a developer and can write code. We are a true bootstrap startup. If you live in or around Austin, and are a backer – come by – we will be happy to show you some of our stuff.

How far along is WigWag in the production process?

As per Kickstarter guidelines, everything you see is a real physical prototype. We have a working Sensor Block, Glowline and Relay, and our cloud service is running for internal testing. The iPhone app you see in the video/pictures actually runs today, controlling and creating rules, and our Android app is underway. All boards are designed by WigWag and manufactured in Wuxi, China. The cases shown were printed on 3D printers. Our design, development and assembly happens in Austin, TX USA.

Continue development of the cloud platform, DeviceJS, and the phone app and web front-ends.

The more funding we get, the quicker we can build more functionality into WigWag Cloud, Relay and DeviceJS.

Warning - Geek Area (i.e. for developers & makers)

Modern Development Environment

Graphical programming + Javascript Core

One of the coolest things about WigWag is the way it works. Anyone can build Intelligent systems graphically through the WebUI or App. But, if you know Javascript and want to go deeper ... Read on.

Unlike proprietary automation systems, anyone with basic programming skills can go deep with WigWag. The rules built with our app or web interface actually generate Javascript for you. You can start by just looking at rules created with the graphical tools, and then modify those to do more. Most of the platform is extensible via Javascript, which means you can make WigWag talk to almost anything. To do this we built DeviceJS.

DeviceJS: Open for Developers, Designers and Tinkerers

DeviceJS is an open-source runtime for executing Javascript. It is built on Google V8 and Node.js. Anyone who knows anything about programming should be able to start hacking things in the physical world easily. WigWag uses the same language and many of the same programming patterns that drive millions of web pages today.

DeviceJS ties Javascript to the physical world, by providing hooks for protocols like IP, 6loWPAN, Bluetooth™, Zigbee™, RS-232, and devices such as the Belkin WeMo™ and Phillips Hue™ light bulbs. Because the system is centered on Javascript, it is very easy for anyone to extend.

WigWag Cloud pushes Javascript to your Relay (or a Raspberry Pi using the Dev Kit's board), which executes distributed Javascript. Because of this architecture, the same code can execute across multiple locations, whether those are floors in the same house, or buildings in different countries. Moreover, even when the Internet is down, rules still execute on the Relay thanks to DeviceJS's caching.

Perfect for Makers

WigWag is a powerful tool for Makers. You can breath life into your hardware project with wireless connectivity to the Internet, a smartphone application, local automation systems, cloud services, and a whole lot more. The dev kit will come with three boards which provide connectivity to DeviceJS + WigWag Cloud: a WigWag Experiment board, a Raspberry Pi shield and an Arduino shield. You worry about the fun part - building the device - we worry about connecting it to the world.

Your hardware projects can now work with rules: You spec your Triggers (aka “Whens") and Actions (aka “Thens") on the WigWag Cloud with DeviceJS. The Arduino shield will provide Arduino makers complete wireless (6loWPAN) connectivity to your Relay, and we will provide a module so that you can write sketches that connect to DeviceJS / WigWag Cloud.

The development kit comes with three development boards to let you experiment, prototype and build WigWag-connected devices. It will also include a Relay and Sensor Block.

Devices created with development kit will get the same first-class capabilities as the above Sensor Block and Glowline. You can scan + add the device, control it from the WigWag App, and build rules with it. The kit will include three unique QR / NFC tags for each of the development boards.

Support for Raspberry Pi

DeviceJS isn’t just for the WigWag Relay:

Included in the Dev Kit is a shield for the Raspberry Pi, which lets the Pi take the place of a Relay. With the shield, the Pi talks to the WigWag Cloud, the Sensor Block, Glowline and WigWag-enabled Arduino devices. This option is great for developers and hackers who want to experiment with DeviceJS and 6loWPAN hardware. It can also make your Raspberry Pi function as an end WigWag device as well, with "When" and "Then" capabilities of it's own.

We will provide a Raspbian package for DeviceJS + WigWag Cloud Connect, as well as source tarballs. Install it, and you will have connectivity from your smartphone to your 6loWPAN hardware from anywhere.

Utilizes Open Hardware and Open Software

Much of the WigWag system is open software and hardware. DeviceJS, and the firmware that runs on WigWag's development hardware devices is open software. WigWag hardware devices (Sensor Block, Glowline, the Arduino shield) are based on Contiki -- a tiny OS targeted at 6loWPAN devices. Around the ship date software for the Arduino and Raspberry PI development boards will be available on Github, and hardware designs for the Development kits will be provided.

Risks and challenges

As with any combined hardware and software project various risks exist. WigWag's leadership are veterans in the enterprise software and hardware industries and have spent a considerable amount of their career developing, testing and supporting embedded systems designs. This experience has helped us get to where we are.

Risks:
RF devices have very subtle but important design characteristics and FCC testing could reveal issues that must be resolved before our products ship. We have already mitigated this risk to some extent by working with both our RF power amp manufacturer as well as the great guys at Rigado Engineering to have various experts review designs. It also helps that we aren't new to making hardware: For instance, the latest Relay board is on it's fifth spin, and the latest sensor module board on it's fourth.

Software risks include delays in development from manufacturer app store submissions and general bugs resulting in delayed timelines. We have mitigated some of these risks already. For instance, we have built an early iPhone app and have already submitted work into Apple. We have the shell of a working Android app, which already has working QR code scanning functionality. DeviceJS already runs on our hardware, and we also have our cloud service up and running internally.

In manufacturing, certain components could experience temporary shortages or supply problems, which could cause delay. We are working closely with our parts distributor to foresee such issues.

FAQ

All WigWag products use universal power supplies which operate all over the world where AC power is available. The power supplies are similar to a home router power supply or a small laptop power supply. At most, you may need an adapter plug for some sockets.

Finished products (WigWag Relay, Sensor Block and Glowline) will have both FCC and CE markings. This means you should have no problem using them in Europe or the US. Other parts of the world should consult their local laws for applicability.

The sensor block runs on 4 AA batteries and/or an included micro USB power adapter.

Battery life largely depends on the number of environmental sensors and rules which the particular Sensor Block is associated. In other words, if you are using all 7 different sensor types on one Block with multiple rules, then your Block might only last a couple of days. If you are using one or two sensors in a simpler configuration it could possibly last up to a year.

Certain sensors are real power hogs, others are very efficient. For instance the ambient light and motion sensors are quite efficient on battery life. However, the trip wire will drain batteries very fast. This is why we chose to also allow the Sensor Block to be permanently placed & powered with a micro USB power adapter.

Yes. The WigWag Glowline, Sensor and Relay all use AC to DC power adapters. At the end of the campaign we will have a survey asking which power socket plug you need. The Europlug (CEE 7/16) will be an option.

The WigWag Sensor Block has an electronic relay switch. Garage door's typically open & close by just connecting a circuit. You simply wire up the Sensor Block's electronic relay to this pair of wires. We will post an instructional video long before ship date. The WigWag App's interface has the ability to directly control this electronic relay switch or connect it with rules.

The electronic relay on the Sensor Block can be used for many other purposes. The max rating on the relay switch is 5 amps.

You will need an Internet connection when you initially setup WigWag. This means that your WigWag Relay will need connectivity to the Internet. After you have setup your Rules - the Internet is not required, as long as your rules involve devices or services which are 'local' (meaning they are in the same network as the WigWag Relay. For instance SMS would not work without an Internet connection). If you later wish to modify Rules you will need an Internet connection again.

Below for Advanced Users, Developers and Makers:

Advanced users have the option of running DeviceJS 'raw'... meaning with out WigWag cloud support at all. This means an Internet connection would not be required as long as services are local. However, the WigWag app and web site will not work. This option may be good for some makers and developers making very specialized systems.

Rules aren't stored on the WigWag Sensor Block or other WigWag end devices. They are stored in two places: WigWag Cloud and the WIgWag Relay.

When you create a Rule it is sent to WigWag Cloud which then pushes it to the WigWag Relay (or Relays if you have multiple). Therefore all limitation is in storage on the WigWag Relay. The Relay has about 2GB of flash storage - and rules are just small pieces of DeviceJS text (think text file, tiny). So in other words, Rules are really going to be limited by your imagination than space requirements. In other words, for all practical purposes, its unlimited.

There may be some minor limitations in which sensors on the Sensor Block can not work simultaneously (we stress minor). Since we are still in prototype we can't definitely say yet. However, you will be able to do all the most common things like: Monitor for motion in one rule, monitor for motion and ambient light in another, and monitor for sound in another, etc. The Rule logic happens at the Relay, not the on your Sensor Block.

Also, bear in mind you can use multiple sensor blocks in a Rule as well (For instance: When 'motion' on Block 1, and 'ambient light - dark' on Block 2... Then...)

You could actually have WigWag Relays in various locations. They could be in different parts of a single home, across multiple floors in a building, across a huge corporate campus, or across the world. WigWag understands locations, and has ways to 'categorize' devices as being in a certain area. You can 'tag' devices, essentially dropping them in one or more buckets, to control or listen to things across a large area.

All WigWag devices communicate with the WigWag Relay via 6loWPAN (running on IEEE 802.15.4). This protocol runs in the same spectrum area as 2.4Ghz WiFi. For this reason you can expect similar performance to WiFi. In some case performance may be better due to the simpler modulation used by 802.15.4. Also, 6loWPAN supports mesh networking, which means that devices can relay information to each other. So if you have multiple Sensor Blocks in the same area then range may go further.

Rewards

Pledge $1 or more

UPDATE ME • Receive updates from this project and help us get closer to our goal. (Great for anyone who just wants to help out!)

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

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Pledge $119 or more

49 backers
Limited (1 left of 50)

EARLY BIRD SENSOR KIT • 1 Sensor Block + 1 Relay. This sensor kit will enable you to get started monitoring, measuring and controlling your world.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

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Pledge $119 or more

49 backers
Limited (1 left of 50)

EARLY BIRD LIGHTING KIT • 1 Glowline +1 Relay. Our light kit will brighten any space and give you complete control of the color. (Each Glowline comes with 2.5 meters of color LED strip lighting, upgradable to 5M at the end of the campaign.)

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

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Pledge $139 or more

195 backers

SENSOR KIT • 1 Sensor Block + 1 Relay. This sensor kit will enable you to get started monitoring, measuring and controlling your world. Make it SMS you, Tweet, and automatically control other devices in your home or office.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

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Pledge $139 or more

21 backers

LIGHTING KIT • 1 Glowline Strip Controller +1 Relay. Our light kit will brighten any space and give you complete control of the color. (Each Glowline comes with 2.5 meters of color LED strip lighting, upgradeable to 5M at the end of the campaign.)

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

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Pledge $169 or more

49 backers
Limited (1 left of 50)

EARLY BIRD ROOM KIT (PICK 2) • 1 Relay + mix and match two: Sensor Block(s) or Glowline(s). Choose 2 Sensor Blocks to try out "Sensor Fusion", cover a larger area, or the "IR Trip Wire" between two blocks. Chose Glowlines to outfit an entire room with LED lighting. Chose one of each to start building dynamic environments. (Each Glowline comes with 2.5 meters of color LED strip lighting, upgradeable to 5M at the end of the campaign.)

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

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Pledge $189 or more

404 backers

ROOM KIT (PICK 2) • 1 Relay + mix and match 2 (at checkout): Sensor Block(s) or Glowline(s). Choose 2 Sensor Blocks to try out "Sensor Fusion", cover a larger area, or the "IR Trip Wire" between two blocks. Chose 2 Glowlines to outfit an entire room with LED lighting. Chose one of each to start building dynamic environments. (Each Glowline comes with 2.5 meters of color LED strip, upgradeable to 5M at the end of the campaign.)

Pledge $289 or more

355 backers

MULTI-ROOM KIT (PICK 4) • You're serious and so are we! 1 Relay + mix and match 4 (at checkout): Sensor Block(s) or Glowline(s). Really get started sensing and controlling multiple rooms. Perfect to try out our location based "sensor fusion" and app control. (Each Glowline comes with 2.5 meters of color LED strip, upgradeable to 5M at the end of the campaign.)

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

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Pledge $579 or more

144 backers

HOME KIT (PICK 10) • More sensors = More Intelligence, and you know it! 1 Relay + mix and match 10 (at checkout): Sensor Block(s) or Glowline(s). Perfect to outfit your whole house with sensing and lighting control. (Each Glowline comes with 2.5 meters of color LED strip, upgradeable to 5M at the end of the campaign.)

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

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Pledge $5,000 or more

1 backer
Limited (4 left of 5)

MAKE IT WAG • Lets face it, you know what you want, and we want to help you make it happen. WigWag will work with you to make your custom project completely functioning via our App and participating in Rules. Contact us first - Lets talk!

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

Funding period

Jun 19, 2013 - Aug 18, 2013
(60 days)

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